LOCAL ELECTIONS : Torrance Incumbents Win as Few Voters Go to Polls

A tiny minority of Torrance voters have reelected three incumbent City Councilmen for four more years in what was seen as a resounding vote for controlled growth and protection of the city’s neighborhoods.

Educator George Nakano, paralegal Tim Mock and public relations consultant Dan Walker were returned for new terms by the scant 15% of the city’s 67,678 registered voters who went to the polls Tuesday.

Journalist Brian R. Hannon, who ran as a slow-growth advocate, trailed the three incumbents, followed by real estate agent Tony Kriss and human relations manager Suzanne M. Fermano, who had withdrawn from the race for medical reasons.

With all 56 precincts reporting, Nakano, the city’s first councilman of Japanese ancestry, emerged as the top vote-getter, drawing 7,474 votes or 27.2% of the total.

As Nakano, his family and other supporters savored their victory with sushi and champagne at a local bank, he called the vote a victory for homeowners.

“Not only did it show (in council races) four years ago, but two years ago,” Nakano said. “Homeowners are concerned about the quality of life and the need to maintain it.”

The soft-spoken Nakano pledged to be “very cautious and vigilant” in considering development projects during his second term in office.

And he put developers on notice that their projects must be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, have an appropriate density and have minimal impact on traffic. “If they don’t fit the criteria, we’ll have to reject it,” he said.

While walking precincts, Nakano, 52, said he also heard voters express concern about the safety of the Mobil Oil Corp. refinery and the amount of aircraft noise near the Torrance Municipal Airport.

Mock, who was elected with Nakano in 1984, captured 6,711 votes or 24.4% of the total. He, too, saw the result as a vote of confidence in the council majority that has been attuned to neighborhood concerns.

“Basically, George and I have strong ties and support within the homeowner groups, and they feel we put their interests first, whether its airport noise, growth or development projects,” Mock said.

Rejected Policy

Mock, 33, said those voters who went to the polls cast their ballots for “controlled growth” and rejected the pro-property-rights stance of real estate agent Kriss.

Walker, a politically ambitious 10-year veteran on the council, won a fourth term, but came in far behind his traditional front-runner position. Final returns showed Walker with 5,175 votes or 18.8%.

In the final days of the campaign, Walker, 47, a highly successful fund-raiser who has made no secret of his interest in running for higher office, was the target of negative mailers sent by both the Hannon and Kriss camps.

During a lull in the count caused by a computer problem, Walker exploded with anger at the 11th-hour actions of the two challengers, saying the two “hit pieces” were filled with “half-truths.”

The mailers assailed Walker’s receipt of campaign contributions from local developers, the $500 donation he made to the campaign of San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos and his role as publicity agent for swap meets.

Scathing Attack

Stung by the mailers, which apparently cut into his reelection margin, Walker launched into a scathing personal attack on his rivals.

He said later that Torrance residents voted for the status quo.

“The people voted for government as it has existed in this city for the last 10 years,” Walker said. “Torrance has a stability that cannot be found in too many communities. When we disagree, we disagree with respect.”

Hannon, 24, the assistant editor of the South Bay New Times newspaper, drew 3,608 votes. His low-budget campaign, financed almost entirely by the candidate and his father, warned that Torrance was being overdeveloped. The theme struck a responsive chord with a better-than-expected 13.1% of the voters.

Kriss, 60, who had run as a self-described “special interest candidate” of the real estate industry and property owners, had been considered the strongest challenger to the incumbents. Making his second council bid, he received 2,710 votes or 9.8% after mounting an expensive last-minute push.

Although she finished last, Fermano, 34, spent the least per vote. She received 1,839 votes or 6.7% even though she withdrew from the race for medical reasons last January immediately after filing. All she spent on the campaign was the $300 filing fee.